Pastel Hair and Pickup Trucks
by harlotstarlet0216
Summary: Bethyl! A pastel haired Beth gets rescued by our favorite country boy, Daryl! So bad at summaries!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! As you can tell by my profile, I'm new at this. I'm insanely happy that I've finally found a place to write and actually be read. Through this story, each chapter will probably have a song that inspired it. This one is inspired by Colors by Halsey. This chapter is written in Beth's POV! If there are any questions, please PM me! Okay guys, please review, review, review!**

Snip. Snip. Snip. That's the soundtrack of Beth's entire day. Her ring clad fingers grip the sheers as she cut Lori Grimes' hair. "Are you okay, Beth?" She glances up from Lori's long, brown hair and met her concerned stare in the mirror. Beth sighed, bringing her sheers down from Lori's hair, deciding she shouldn't cut while distracted.

"Is it too attention hog of me to say no?" She asked. Lori laughed and shook her hair no. "Well, I'm not one for salon gossip, so please don't think that is what this is. It's just that Shane has been pushing his luck lately." She grimaced at Lori's reflection and continued. "I was doing his laundry the other day-" she paused to think about how big of a mistake buying the little run down house in the middle of nowhere was "-and I found these little blue pills in the pocket of a pair of his jeans. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and figured maybe he was nursing a cold until he saw me looking at them. He ripped them out of my hands and screamed until I was in tears." She rested her elbow on the back of the salon chair, her head in her hands.

"Well, my response may sound a little salon gossipy but you knew how Shane was when you got with him. No one had to tell you because, benefit of a small town, you heard the rumors. You, being the sweet girl you are, ignored them and let him prove that to you. And, sweetie, that's exactly what he did." Lori's heart shape faced scrunched up in a genuine look of concern. "Ugh!" Beth exclaimed. "I love him, though. I've changed everything about myself to please him. He didn't want the preachers daughter, he wanted this. And to be completely honest, my Daddy would probably have a conniption if he saw me." She admitted weakly. She looked at her dyed pastel purple hair, dark eye makeup, and dark blouse.

"No one had the heart to tell you that you shouldn't change for him. You love him, Bethy. Do what your heart thinks is right, but don't let him drag you down if you decide to stay." Right as she got her last word out, the bell rang to signify someone walked into the salon. Beth looked up to see Daryl Dixon walking up to the front desk. Lori stood up as Beth took her cape off. "Thank you, Lori." She said as she hugged her. "Rosita will check you out" Beth pointed to the beautiful Latina dipping combs in Barbicide at one of the stations.

Beth walked up to Daryl and asked her usual check in questions such as "what are you looking to have done today?" "Would you like a wash with that today?". He and his brother Merle don't speak much, so simple head nods were normal. Daryl was a pretty regular customer at the salon, considering there only was one. She took him back to the shampoo station and washed his hair. After she dried his hair with a towel, she guided him back to her station. Daryl is a well known mechanic here in the small town of Bourbon Brook, Georgia. He is judged and outcasted due to his father being an abusive drunk and alcoholic before his "suspicious" death. His death was considered suspicious because he appeared to have committed suicide, but there was no gun at the scene. Beth shrugged off those thoughts and told herself to stop being so judgmental.

"So how are we doing today, Mr. Dixon?" She asked, not expecting an answer. He nodded his head and grunted in response. A minute went by when he startled her by asking "how is your day?" She gawked for a second before replying "same old, same old I guess. How's the weather out there? Haven't been out since 8." After the shock wore off, she was surprised how normal conversation came. As she trimmed his hair, she noticed something about Daryl. When he smiled, which everyone can tell is rare, only half of his mouth came up. Just then, he had said something that made her giggle. That is where it all went down hill. Her laughter radiated through the shop, making the other clients turn and smile in her direction. Just then, Shane walked in. "What's this?" He barked. He grabbed Daryl by the front of the shirt and swung him out of the chair, sending all of the clients scattering. Daryl didn't go very easy, as he stood at least two heads taller than Shane. "Shane, stop it!" Beth screamed. "No man is going to make my woman laugh, except me." He swung his fist forward, meeting Daryl's jaw, his head flying back from the impact.

"Are you fucking high?" She wailed. Shane let go of the front of Daryl's shirt, striding over and grabbing her arms. He shook her hard, her hair flying around her. "Who told you that? Who have you been talking to?" He screamed in her face, spit landing all over her skin. She tried fighting him but she was small, petite. Suddenly, Shane was flying backwards. "That is not how you treat a lady." Daryl growled as his fist swung down, making a hollow thud as it hit Shane 's stomach. He grabbed him by his shoulders, picking him up and shoving him towards the door. "Get out of here!" He yelled.

Shane turned around and glared at Beth. "Don't even try coming home." He threatened. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched him walk away, bloody and hurt. "I'm sorry, Beth, I didn't mean to go that far-" she cut him off, raising her hand. She looked at him, how there was no trace of that crooked smile anymore, blood dripping from his mouth. A man who barely knew her just saved her from potential injury at the hand of her boyfriend-…ex boyfriend? "I….thank you. I need to leave, I think. Wait, he has the car. God damnit!" She cried.

Daryl obviously wasn't familiar with women crying because he looked very awkward. "Er…I have a car. Where do you need to go?"

"Just home, I can't be here right n- DOUBLE DAMNIT I can't go to that house! He told me not to go there. Fuck!" She tripped over one of the waiting room chairs in her panic. Daryl awkwardly helped her up, walking her toward the door, away from the staring eyes of the salon goers. "Is there anywhere else I can take you?" He wondered. She sat down on one of the Main Street benches, biting her lip in thought.

"I guess we can go to my sisters, but she lives right on the outside of the town. If that is too far, I could walk…" she led off.

"No, no. I'd rather know you're with family and not running back to that ass hole." She flinched at that. He looked at her apologetically, unlocking the passenger side of his old, beat up pick up truck. She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes as she sat on the far side of the bench seat. He got in, starting the truck and turning the radio on simultaneously. He had the standard, small county country station playing. He hummed along to a really familiar song as she thought about how much she missed listening to it.

Shane prefers to stand out from the Southern folk stereotype, dyed hair colored his 22 year old head, his legs covered with dark jeans and chains. His usual shirts contained bands that you don't hear on the radio. She traded in her flannels and cotton dresses to fit in with his lifestyle. So an older man would want her. When Beth's dad died, Shane swooped in and preyed on the weak 18 year old who lived in the big farm house by herself. That was until he insisted on selling the house and buying a smaller place, spending the rest on god only knows what. She only saw a small chunk of the money to update her wardrobe and help Shane buy a new car. She frowned out the window.

Beth gave directions and that was the only real communications going on in the cab of that truck, until Daryl cleared his throat and said "are you going to be okay?" She looked at him and watched as he solemnly looked out the windshield. "I think so. Thank you for doing this for me." He nodded and pulled into the gravel driveway. "You're going to tell your sister the truth, right?"

She thought about it for a second and nodded. She decided she needed to get away from him. As she went to get out, he gently grabbed her wrist and handed over a business card. "Call this if you ever need me. I'd love to get another swing at that… never mind. Even if you just need to talk, call me." He crooked smiled at her and drove away as she shut the door. Why would he go from barely talking to telling her to call him in just one day? Was it pity? Or something else…

 **There it is guys! The first chapter. I know, I know, it was extremely long. But to answer some questions you probably have, Daryl is usually very quiet but we will definitely find out why that suddenly changes. And Shane is a lot younger (and completely different) than he is in the show. But, thank you for bearing with me! It was so fun to write, and I'll be see you in the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guyysss. So, if you're reading this, you've read the first chapter! How was it? Amazing? Terrible? So good you think you're going to cry? I'm hoping for the later buuuut I would love some reviews with ideas on what you want to see! Okey dokey, I'll shut up now. Enjoy!**

Beth walked across the pale, wooden front porch and opened the screen door. "Maggie?" She called. Hmm. She thought, the front door was open? She walked through the house, glancing into the kitchen and the empty bathrooms as she went. She lightly pushed open Maggie and her husbands door, hearing giggling. "Oh my god!" She yelled, seeing Glenn's bare butt. She slammed the door shut and ran down the stairs. She sat on the front porch swing, trying to rub the bad images out of her head.

She heard the sound of someone running down the stairs. Her older sister pushed the screen door open, face bright red. "what the hell?!" She shouted at Beth, but that was before she noticed the tears running down her face. Maggie sat down, putting her arm around her sobbing sister. "Bethy, what happened?" Beth shook her head, getting ready to say the usual answer of "nothing is wrong?" But she decided against it.

She told Maggie all about what happened, not leaving out the part of Daryl giving her his number. The older girl beamed, looking smug. "I told you. New, better things would be happening to you!" Maggie bounced up and down, obviously excited that her younger sister had an admirer. "Sure, your sister gets pushed around and kicked out, and you get excited about the possibility of her getting a new boyfriend. He probably just pities me and nothing else." She huffed. Maggie rolled her eyes as Glenn walked out onto the warm, sun washed porch.

"Er… sorry about that Beth…" Glenn apologized awkwardly. She rolled her eyes and held up her hand, signaling she was done talking about it. Waaaaay too awkward, she thought. "I heard your conversation, not that I was eavesdropping. But, if you'd like, I can go get your stuff from hum…Shane's house, bring it here, and we can give you our spare bedroom for the time being?" He spit out, stuttering nervously, not wanting to sound too affectionate."

"Is that okay, Maggs?" Beth asked. Maggie nodded, hugging her sister hard. "It'll be just like when we were kids!" Beth smiles, thinking about those days. The sisters were 6 years apart, so they haven't loved together since Beth was 12 years old, she being the youngest. Maggie left for college out of state when she was 18, much to their father's dismay. When he passed away 2 years ago, Beth was the only one left at the big farm house. Their mother passed 4 years after Beth was born.

Beth walked through the familiar house, up into the guest room with its own bathroom and a big bay window. She threw her bag down on the pure, white comforter and turned the ceiling fan on. It was a scorching hot Georgia summer and the Cicadas were out full force, forcing Beth to keep the screen on the window shut. She watched Glenn drive his old blue Ford down the long gravel drive way on his way to get her things. She wondered silently how Shane would take it, not wanting Glenn to get hurt. She considered calling Daryl as a sort of backup for the man but she knew it wasn't his problem.

She looked at herself in the vanity mirror. Her waist long blonde hair gone, chopped into shoulder length layers. Her bright blue eyes hidden by thick, black smudges of eyeliner and mascara. Piercings that her father would have fainted at the sight of. Starting to panic and hyperventilate, she ripped the nose and lip rings out, throwing them toward the window. She ran down the stairs, grabbing the keys to Maggie's car by the door. She hauled ass down the street a mile to the drug store. She walked in, knowing exactly which aisle to walk down. She grabbed two of the small boxes and checked out. As she was walking through the parking lot, a familiar pickup truck pulled in. As soon as Daryl saw her, he drove up next to her.

"Howdy, stranger." She smiled. He crookedly smiled, looking down at the shopping bag, noticing the blonde hair dye, "I, uh, needed a change." She said, but it came out as more of a question. He nodded, and she decided to listen to Maggie (does that ever turn out well?) and take a risk. "Would you like to come over for dinner?" She spit out.

Looking surprised, he answered "I can't tonight." Her face fell, but he quickly recovered with "how is tomorrow night?" She smiled automatically, nodding. Deciding that was probably for the best, so she could cover it with Maggie first. "Do you still have my number?" He asked.

"I do! Oh, and I'm living with my sister for the time being, and her husband left to get my belongings about an hour ago." He congratulated her, grinning. "I will text you the address and time tonight, okay?" She said as she walked towards her sister's car, still smiling. She got in, turning the key. The AC blew strongly, cooling the blush off of her cheeks. As she drove toward home, she realized she was in a much better mood than she left in. She was excited for tomorrow, already planning out a dinner. As she grabbed her bag out of the back seat, she realizes Glenn's truck was back, some of her things still in the bed. She grinned and walked in.

She dropped the shopping bag in surprise as she notice Glenn sitting on a kitchen stool with an ice pack pressed to his bruised face. "What happened?!" She cried. She pulled the ice pack away from his face, assessing the damage.

"The drugged up ass hole hit me as soon as I told him I was there for your stuff!" He said in disbelief.

"Did you hit him back?!" Beth asked, curious. He shook his head and showed her the 911 call in his history. "I got your stuff without violence. Just force." He shrugged. She shook her head, wondering what Shane was hopped up on that made him so violent. "Oh, while I have you both here, is it okay if I have a friend over for dinner tomorrow night? I'll buy the food and make it?" She asked, hoping Maggie didn't ask who. But, her face showed that she saw right through her little sister.

"Would this dinner happen to be a date?" Maggie teased.

"No! Just saying thank you for him saving my ass…" she blushed

The couple laughed, Maggie replying with "well, we are going out for dinner and a movie tomorrow night, so you will have the house to yourself." Glenn waggled his eyebrows as Maggie made some suggestive movements. She rolled her eyes and carried her things up into her bathroom.

She changed into some ratty clothes that Glenn brought up for her, and walked into the bathroom. She applied the blonde dye, thanking God that she was a hairdresser so she didn't need to waste time reading the instructions. With her hair tied into a knot, she walked back into her room to let it set for thirty minutes. As she turned the TV on, she glanced at her phone. She pulled Daryl's business card out from inside her phone case, typing the mobile number to send a text.

 **Hi Daryl, it's Beth!** She typed. She locked her phone, setting it down next to her on the bed. She was halfway through an episode of Criminal Minds when she heard the *ding ding* of her phone. She quickly unlocked it, her stomach doing little flips. She paused for a second to stop herself, knowing she doesn't even know him that well.

 **Hey, are we still on for tomorrow?** He typed, his grammar and punctuation perfect. "A man that is attractive and spells well…" she said to herself. _AGHH BETH STOP_. She thought. She started typing back giving him the address, directions, and time. **Do you like chicken parm?** She asked. She saw the little dots pop up on the bottom of the screen to show he was typing. **Love it.** He said, simply. She nodded, and her alarm went off on her phone to signal her time was up. She rinsed out her hair in the claw foot bathtub, then scrubbed off her makeup. She sighed in content when she looked in the mirror and realized she looked like herself again.

After shocking Maggie with her returned looks, she carried in the rest of her things from outside. She started to customize her room, making it look like her own as opposed to a guest bedroom. With a big closet like the one she has now, she noticed clothes she forgot she had. As she put things away, she started thinking about what to wear for dinner the following day. Knowing a dress was too fancy and all of her jeans were ripped, she settled on a pair of leggings with a tank top and a pretty cardigan. She and Daryl texted back and forth throughout the night, Beth feeling like a giddy teenager again but mentally smacking herself. She knew what that got her into last time and she just got out of that relationship. _Well, we can be friends… can't we?_ She thought.

 _Yeah. We can be really good friends._

 **There it is, my dear readers! Yes, I know it is shorter than the 1st chapter, but I didn't want to pack the "date night" into this chapter, I want to make it long and worth your while! Thank you for reading guys, review review review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to the lovely reviewer, Lotus11, for making me think about the plot a little more! This chapter is going to be in Daryl's POV!**

Daryl rolled out of his small, dingy twin bed. He could already hear the TV in the living room already playing some stupid sit-com. "Merle." He grumbled, quietly. He put on his usual cut-flannel and jeans combo and walked into the living room. He opened the fridge and looked at his options, which were leftover mac and beef, 2 week old burgers, left overs from the local diner that Merle refuses to eat, or spoiled milk and cereal. Daryl sighed and decided to run to the drug store and just grab a box of granola bars on his way to work.

As he drove, he smoked a cigarette and hummed along to the radio. He kept seeing visions of purple hair and would try to shake them out of his head. As he turned into the parking lot, he saw that purple head of hair and thought it was just his mind playing tricks on him, until he actually saw her. He hesitated, thinking maybe she didn't want to talk to him, just wanted to get in her car and leave. _Alright, Daryl. You're gonna take another chance today._ He pulled up next to her and that chatted for a bit, Daryl constantly getting distracted by her beautiful face. It felt like they were in their own little world, not in a drug store parking lot in the middle of no where. He eyed the boxs of hair dye in her shopping bag, wondering what she was planning to do with them. _What the hell do you think she's doing with hair dye, dumb ass?_ He thought. She explained her need for change but he knew it was more than that. He expected her to just say goodbye and walk back to her car, leaving him thinking of her in the parking lot.

But, what he wasn't expecting, was for her to ask him over for dinner. She probably just wanted to say thank you for him saving her. Or maybe wanted to formally tell him to leave her alone, lose her number and all that shit. He didn't really do that much for her, just took a punch to the jaw and save her from getting shaken like a rag doll. He pondered this while he walked through the drug store, the whole situation clouding his head.

When he got to the garage, he knew he wouldn't be able to think straight but he couldn't afford to not go. He walked in and saw one of his best friends, T-Dog. T was the reason that he decided to talk to Beth that day. "Yo, T." He called. The man looked up and smiled a gapped tooth smile. "How's it going with your girl?" He asked, laughing.

"She's not my girl," He said, almost sounding disappointed "she just got out of a relationship."

"I didn't send you in there to say hi to her for nothing." He jabbed. Yeah, I wouldn't have had the balls to go in there if T didn't make me.

Daryl stood outside of the salon Beth Greene worked at, looking through the big glass windows on the front, watching her laugh and smile with Lori Grimes.

" _Are you ever going to stop staring at her and actually say hi." T-Dog laughed. Daryl just kept looking at her until I started feeling like a stalker. "You went to school with her and never said anything to her. You've been graduated for 2 years, say something! Do something out of the ordinary, you haven't had a girlfriend since Andrea and that was Junior year. It's time for you to get some lovin'!" He shouted._

 _"If I go talk to her, will you let it go?" Daryl asked. T-Dog nodded and Daryl sighed. "Well, here I go."_

"Yeah, I did talk to her. You know what it got me? Punched in the jaw." Daryl sighed.

"Yeah, and invited to her house for dinner tomorrow. Stop looking at the bad things. When you called me last night, you sounded more excited than you were on graduation day when Beth got assigned to be your walking partner." T Dog laughed, patting Daryl on the back. "She may not be ready to be anything more right now, but what she is ready for is to have a friend that will be there for her no matter what. You've seen how Shane pushed her around for 2 years now, be the opposite. Listen to her, accept her for who she is, and just give her time because she won't be able to trust you right away. She's been hurt over and over, and we've all seen her change from the preacher's daughter to this….thing." He sighed, looking at the oil stained concrete.

Daryl scoffed "Okay, Gandhi, let's get to work."

After a long, hot day, T Dog and Daryl went back to T's house. T's wife, Tara, was making beef brisket stew in the crockpot, Daryl's favorite. He went upstairs and showered, changing into the clothes he kept in a bag in his truck. They all sat around the table eating, making small talk until Daryl's phone went off.

 **Hey Daryl, it's Beth!** Daryl nearly choked on a carrot. T jumped up and slapped Daryl on the back, making him spit out the carrot. "What is wrong?!" T yelled. Daryl pointed at his phone screen, still coughing. T guffawed, clapping like an excited child. "yeah,baby!" He cheered "my man Daryl is GETTIN IT." T danced around his kitchen table, Tara smiling and doing a small dance in her chair.

Rolling his eyes, Daryl reluctantly cracked a smile. "I'm not getting anything. Just want to be friends," he looked at T to let him know he was serious "she was treat d horrible. I want to give her the chance to heal." He sat back down in his chair. Rolling some pease around his plate. He made the decision, grabbing his phone from next to him, typing **Hey, we still on for tomorrow?** He sucked in a deep breath before mashing his thumb down on the send button on the screen. They continued eating, making the usual light conversation. *ding ding* Daryl almost choked again.

He thought for sure that the answer was going to be a no, opening his screen preparing for the worst. When he saw the time and the address, his heart took off like an out of control helicopter blade. T Dog chuckled but didn't say anything, knowing better. "Hey, Tara?" Daryl edged. She looked up from her plate at him in acknowledgement. "What do I wear?"

 **Short chapter guys, I'm sorry! I'm really appreciating all of your reviews and all the people who started following this story! I've been writing these chapters in school everyday so that's why I'll be updating more during the week than on weekends. Senior year is going really shitty for me guys but hey, I'll get over it. Review review review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my pretties! Thank you to all the readers who have favorited, followed, reviewed, etc! You're the reason I look forward to writing everyday. Well, here's what we've been looking forward. 1st "date…?" Is it going to turn out amazing? Or horrible? Hmmmmmm. Read and find out!**

Beth rolled out of bed extremely jittery. It was only 11:00 and Daryl wasn't coming until 5:00, but She still felt like she was rushing. Hopping in the shower even though she had gotten one the night before, just to shave all the orifices again. Who knows what can happen? She thought. She sat down in front of her vanity, staring at the familiar yet unfamiliar reflection. Her recently lavender hair was now a pale, golden shade of blonde. You could see where her lip and nose piercings once sat, now a small, healing hole.

Normally, she would have thrown on something like dark jeans and band t shirts, but today was a new day. A fresh start. She grabbed the clothes she had hung in her closet, picked out from the night before. She got dressed and walked down to the vacant kitchen. Maggie and Glenn had informed her that they would be leaving right from work for their date. Glenn was the CEO of some big company in Atlanta, while Maggie was a nurse at the local hospital. Beth was kind of relieved to have the house to herself, that way she could calm her thoughts with some music. She hooked her iPhone up to the Bluetooth speakers and danced around.

She cleaned the already spotless downstairs, then moving upstairs to clean the leftover dye out of her tub. She made her bed and dusted the white desk, rearranging the flowers she had bought for her mother's vase. She checked her phone, seeing it was 3:00. She texted Rosita, gushing about how excited she was.

And then her stomach dropped. What am I doing? She thought. She and Shane had broken up a little over 24 Hours ago. You, Beth Greene, do not hop from guy to guy. You barely know Daryl Dixon! She scolded internally. She sat down on her bed with her head in her hands, thinking back to high school, before Shane had come along.

 _Beth sat with her best friend, Carol, at their lunch table. She glanced over at Daryl and his friend T-Dog's table, longing, "Beth." Carol said, interrupting her thoughts. She looked over at her, not wanting to admit she was staring. "Why can't you just go say something to him?" She laughed. Beth shook her head, blushing just at the thought. Beth was a plain teenager, small and thin, preachers daughter, a dime a dozen. Daryl was rough, sexy, mysterious. The boy whose father died under strange circumstances. Sexy and intimidating, but she would still love to be held in those arms after a long night of-_

She snapped herself out of that. She always had a crush on him, but Maggie had always put the thought in her head that the guy should ask you out or make the first move. She gave up when after graduation, even being walking partners, he never said anything or gave her a second glance. That is why she was so surprised that he agreed to come for dinner. She began cooking, allowing the chicken to bake a bit before starting the sauce and sides. She set the table slowly, just to have something to keep her hands busy. If she thought to much about how much of a whore she must seem to him, she would back out. Please let this go well…. She prayed.

Daryl's POV

Daryl was giddy. He also didn't know to think if it were a date or not, still thinking she may just be trying to thank him for what he did for her. He shook the thought out of his head, knowing he shouldn't psych himself out. After killing time reading and watching TVin his room all morning, he got dressed slowly. He buttoned each button on his new flannel slowly, over thinking it instead of overthinking other things. He walked out into the living room to see Merle in his usual spot on the couch. He looked up and whistled "Look at you, little brother. So grown up." Daryl growled and flipped him the bird.

He made himself some toast, thinking if he ate anything else he would throw it up. He left the apartment, stopping to grab the mail. Bills, bills, and more bills. "All things Merle won't get off his ass to pay…." he grumbled. The hot Georgia sun was exchanged for some thunderstorms which was considered a beautiful day to Daryl. Looking at the dashboard in his truck, he saw it was 4:00. He pulled out of the lot, stopping at the nursery on his way to Beth's. He didn't know what kind of flowers she liked and figured roses were too much so he settled for daisies.

He listened to his standard country channel, humming to calm his nerves. As he drove down the long gravel drive, he debated on whether or not he should turn around. He shook his head, repeating be a man in his head. He parked up near the sun bleached porch, noticing how much land was behind the house. A couple of dogs were playing in the rain, chasing each other and then running back into the barn that was painted the same as the house. He smiled and grabbed the flowers off of the passenger seat. He walked up to the house, listening to the gravel crunch under his feet.

As soon as he stepped onto the porch, he could see Beth through the screen door, standing at the stove looking beautiful as always. He gazed at her for a minute until walking up to the door. He knocked gently, still making her jump and squeak. She smiled brightly when she saw it was him, and skipped to the door to open in. "Come in, come in!" She ushered him in with her hands. "Beautiful weather we're having! I've always preferred the rain, the sun just gets to be too much sometimes…" she rambled.

"That smells really good." He complimented. She smiled and he thought about how if she smiled any wider, he thought her cheeks would tear. Her smile was contagious, him grinning back at her. "Would you like something to drink? Water, Coke, tea?" She asked, basically vibrating with excitement. He chose Coke, sitting down on the soft, white couch. He was in the middle of thinking about how he and Merle could never own anything white when she brought him his drink, setting 2 coasters down on the glass coffee table, setting hers down next to his.

"Dinner is running late, I'm sorry! We can watch tv for a bit though. I have a huge obsession with _Criminal Minds_ , do you watch it?" The excitement on her face left him unable to say no. They watched the show, close to each other but not touching. When Beth got up to make their plates, instead of sitting at the table, they sat and ate at the couch. Instead of watching the Tv, he spent most of the time watching her. Even with mouths full of chicken parm, she would laugh at her favorite characters, and when the inevitable plot twist would come, she would get this cute little crease between her eyebrows. For most of the time, Beth though he was laughing at the show when he was really smiling at her.

Around 11:00, they were still watching the show. Daryl was really starting to like it when headlights started to shine through the front windows. "Oh, Maggie and Glenn are home, it must be late." She trailed off. "Do you need to leave?" The little crease showed up between her eyes.

"No no, it's a Friday night. I don't work on Saturdays. Unless you'd like me to leave?" He questioned. She shook her head furiously, begging him with her eyes to stay. She jumped up to refill their Cokes just as her sister and husband walked in. Maggie waved to him and Glenn smiled, as Daryl said hello. Daryl observed the similarities between Beth and Maggie, how their smiles were almost identical, though their faces were fairly different.

Glenn plopped down on the couch to the left of Daryl. "How are ya?" Glenn asked. Daryl noted his lack of an accent, reminding himself to ask where Glenn is from. "I'm good, man, how about yourself?" He replied, reaching out to shake his hand. They chatted for awhile, and Daryl discovered that Glenn's family is from Korea, they then relocated to Massachusetts, and after graduation, Glenn left for Atlanta where he met Maggie. Beth looked over and smiled occasionally, she and Maggie having their own conversation.

Once 1 am rolled around, they were all sitting on the couch watching some horror movie. There was a couple inches between he and Maggie and he wanted to close that gap. Even though holding her hand is all he wanted to do, he knew he shouldn't push the issue. Once the movie ended, he decided it was time to go. He and Beth were using yawns as commas at that point, so he stood up and stretched. Beth followed him out to his truck, asking him how he liked the movie. He genuinely liked it even though he wasn't that into horror things. They looked at each other awkwardly before saying goodbye, Daryl getting into his truck.

On his drive home, he couldn't stop thinking about how much he likes her and how he couldn't believe he may actually be getting his chance with Beth Greene. He grinned and continued driving. He wished he had a family like she did, he and Merle got along and all, but they didn't often sit down and watch movies together, nor spend much of any time together. Daryl never pitied himself, always accepting the cards he was dealt, even with an abusive father who gave him the ugly scars on his back. He always convinced himself he never needed anything more than what he had, but now there's Beth. She is just out of his reach but he needs her.

 **There it is folks! I hope you enjoyed their first date night kind of thing? (Note I said first ;) okay guys! You know the drill. Review review review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, Fam. I hope you guys had an amazing weekend/ Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday. And me, you ask? I got hired for a new job I got accepted into beauty school, and got an internship with a photographer! Ahhhhh! Big things are happening, kids. Okay okay, on with the story**!

Beth's POV

Beth stood up out of bed, the smile on her face has been plastered there since her hang out with Daryl. She slipped on her usual work uniform, leggings, black boots, and a cardigan. She walked downstairs and water for Maggie to come down to take her to work. While she waited, she ate cereal and did the brave thing and shot Daryl a good morning text. They had been texting back and forth for a couple of days, pretty much playing 20 questions day in and day out.

Daryl was pretty interesting, Beth learning the things that he would reluctantly tell her. He seemed as if he just really didn't like talking about himself because when she would ask, he would turn it back to her. She brushed it off just as Maggie came down the stairs, swinging her keys around her finger. "We need to get you a car." She stated, smiling at me. "Let's go to the used car lot and we'll take out a loan, okay? Your credit is good, right?" Beth nodded, remembering all the times she sat with her dad at the kitchen table, he explaining how to build good credit.

As they passed the lot on our way to the salon, a car caught myher. She grinned and pointed her eyes at the road ahead of her. Maggie dropped Beth off out front and told her she would see her at 5:00. Beth waved as Maggie drove away and then walked inside. Rosita gasped, running up to her and running her fingers through Beth's freshly blonde hair. "I never thought I would see blonde again!" She exclaimed, doing her little happy dance. Rosita is beautiful, mocha skin, long dark hair, every beautiful aspect of every Latina model. But here she is, fawning over her hair. Beth grinned and continued her walk to her station.

She glanced out the large front windows to see Daryl, standimost ng and grinning in her direction. She smiled and waved, feeling her cheeks blaze red. Right as she went to turn back, she saw Shane walk and stand behind Daryl, smiling at her, arrogantly. She rolled her eyes and turned away, and when she looked back, they were both gone. How am I supposed to focus on my work when that just happened? She thought.

 **8 hours later**

At the end of her shift, Beth grabbed her bag from the back room and said goodbye to the older woman who came in for her. She walked out onto the street, looking for Maggie's car. "Yes, my favorite movie is Prom Night, don't judge me." She heard as she recognized the words as the last text she had sent to Daryl. She turned around and smiled and the rough hillbilly in front of her. He was holding his phone and the keys to his truck. "Were you waiting for me?" She asked him, laughing.

His face turned a strange color of red, and nodded timidly. "Maggie called me, don't ask how she got my number because I have to clue, but she asked me if I would take you over to Welsh's Used Car Lot and help you pick one out." She nodded, making sure She had my ID and everything so she could get financing and what not. They walked to his truck together and chatted happily. As they drove down the major highway that ran directly through the town, she spotted the car that had caught her eye again.

When he parked, Beth jumped out and ran right up to the car. The tag read "2002 Jeep Liberty" and then listed the mileage, warranties and such. "You like that one?" Daryl asked, looking it over. "It's so cute!" Beth squealed. He laughed and walked into the dealer to ask for the keys to take it for a test drive. Beth really enjoyed driving the small car, but she decided it would be smart to look and drive other cars. She ended up driving a Toyota Corolla, a Chevy Blazer, and a Nissan Sentra. After driving all of them, she looked at Daryl with her little hand on her chin. "This is such a hard decision…" she led off, lost in thought.

She decided on the Jeep, she knew her gut was usually right. After they went through all the formal car buying things, she drove her new baby home, Daryl following behind in his truck. She parked her car next to Maggie's beater and Daryl parked behind Glenn's Acura. "Would you like to come in for a bit?" She asked, her stomach already growling. He nodded and hopped out of the big, rusty Chevy. He followed her up the stairs that lead to the back porch, his boots sounding loud and heavy. Glenn was standing in front of a stainless steel grill, flipping burgers and hot dogs.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted. "Good thing I planned for you both to come back her to eat." Glenn was pretty good at planning, and he was also a good cook. I don't know if it was because of his days as a pizza delivery boy or what, but he was also quick at getting food on plates and to us. That speed would come in handy if a zombie apocalypse ever happened, god forbid. I laughed at that thought to myself and walked through the door into the kitchen to grab plates and buns. It was too beautiful of a day to not sit on the back porch and eat. The Georgia sunshine was bright against the golden corn crops and the little pond the dogs were swimming and splashing in was glittering brightly.

They decided to have a little fire outback and roast marshmallows later on. As Maggie and Glenn carried the chairs out, beth and Daryl hung back, both carrying 2 pokers for marshmallows, graham crackers, and mini chocolate bars. They were grinning and laughing, playfully pushing each other when it was all broken up by a loud, sharp snap coming from in the crops. Daryl gently pushed Beth behind him, his hand going to his pocket, him kicking himself for forgetting the knife in the truck. He cursed under his breath, ready to tell Beth to run just in case. Daryl didn't get scared easily but those food steps had him going crazy.

Daryl stopped breathing when he saw who stepped out.

 **There it is, dearies! A bit of a cliffhanger for your Thursday?! I'm sorry it took so long to write it, fam! with starting the new job, I've been fairly busy. Well, I hope you enjoy! You know the drill.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Howdy, folks. I didn't want to leave you guys with just a cliffhanger for too long ;) who do you guys think it is?! Ahhhh! I'm so excited to tell you. I'll give you a hint… it isn't a zombie. I'm not really sure why, but I have an internal theme song for Daryl, and it's Mother by Danzig. Let's get on with iiiiiiiit**!

Beth gasped. Daryl pushing her behind him really showed her that she was right to be worried. Maggie jumped out of her chair and Glenn dragged her closer to the other couple. Shane laughed as he strutted arrogantly around the fire, a bottle of jack Daniels in his hand. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He jeered. "A little get together? A double date? How come we never went on none of them, Bethie?" He drawled in that dopey sounding southern accent that she fell for so long ago.

"Shane, why are you even here?" Beth questioned, trying not to look like she was hiding behind Daryl. He snorted and sat down in one of the lawn chairs. "You're my girlfriend!" He boasted. "Wherever you are, I am." They all gawked at him, before Daryl eventually spoke up.

"No. She isn't. You hurt and controlled her for years, and she left you." Right after the last word left his mouth, Shane pulled a shiney, silver hand gun from his pocket and pointed it at Daryl. The group gasped, Beth moving to quick for Daryl to stop her. She jumped in front of him and threw her arms out. "Shane, stop it! You're fucking crazy!" She cried. He laughed hysterically and took a swig from the bottle.

"Shane… Beth still loves you." Maggie forced herself to say. She glanced at Beth out of the corner of her eye, nodding slightly. While Shane was distracted by Maggie's words, Daryl dialed 911 behind Beth's back and put it in her back pocket so they could hear everything going on. "If you'd just put the gun away, she'll tell you that." Maggie begged. He seemed to debate on it for a second before tucking the weapon into the cup holder of the chair.

"Shane, the gun. It's making me very nervous, can you put it where I can't see it? Out of sight, out of mind. You know weapons make me extremely nervous." Beth managed to push out between her teeth. He looked at Daryl instead of her, sneering. "If I put it away, he will miss the point of this visit." Daryl was being careful to not retaliate to this comment, but instead control his face to look scared.

"Well, Beth?" He pressed. Beth barely got the first syllable out of her mouth when she started hearing the sirens. "You bitch!" He cried, grabbing the gun and pointing it right at Beth. Daryl lunged, no thinking involved. He only knew he had to protect Beth. When Daryl made connection with the man, all he felt was him flailing his arms, trying to get a clear shot at Beth. He felt him pull the trigger once, the force causing them to roll farther into the field. He heard yelling as the sheriff, Rick Grimes, came booking it down the yard. Daryl pinned Shane's right arm down, grabbing the gun and sliding it toward the sheriff. Daryl jumped off as the bigger policemen came and detained the man.

Daryl turned to look at Beth but instead of seeing her pretty face, he saw the blood dripping from her shoulder. He ran towards her, catching her right as she collapsed. "Beth!" He was shouting. "Someone help!" Maggie screamed. One of the officers radioed for an ambulance, pushing Daryl out of the way so he could apply pressure to Beth's wound. Now I know where that shot went… Daryl thought. The lifted Beth's small, limp body onto the gurney, someone sitting almost on top of her packing the wound with gauze. Daryl looked at Maggie and she looked back, the look on her face letting him know he should already be in that ambulance, holding her hand.

He slipping in right before they shut the back doors, slamming his butt down on the cushioned benches next to her. She was unconscious, but she was alive. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he looked at how pale she was, her veins standing out blue and purple against her skin. Her eyes were sullen, purple blotches showing up beneath them. He could have watched the paramedics try and get her slow, uneven heart beat stable. He could have talked to the man sitting next to him trying to get him to speak. He could have reassured himself she would be okay.

But all he could do was stare at her face, angelic even in its state of blood loss.

They pulled up to the hospital, rushing Beth into the sliding doors, leaving Daryl forgotten in the empty ambulance. He got out as the EMTs returned to leave. His feet felt like there were weights attached, heavy as led. He fought to keep his feet moving, one in front of the other. He threw himself down in a chair to wait for Maggie and Glenn. He felt like his heart was pumping molten metal through his veins, the feint _glug...glug...glug…_ reminding him that he was living. And Beth was fighting to stay alive. _It should have been me_. He thought. Maggie and Glenn ran in, their heads spinning wildly, scanning the room for him. When Maggie's eyes met his, her body seemed to spring in his direction.

"Where is she?" The older sister cried, latching onto his arm. He let her know she was in surgery, that the bullet was dangerously close to an artery. She looked at him, tears falling down her face. "You love her." She spoke, softly. Daryl's head snapped up and they made eye contact. As soon as the thought of verbalizing her correctness came into his head, it was gone. He slowly nodded until he leaned his head back onto the chair.

About 2 hours later, male nurse walked out, quickly moving to stand in front of Maggie. "Are you Margaret Greene?" He asked. She nodded, moving to stand. "Okay, Elizabeth is awake and she was asking for you and… Daryl?" He asked pointing at the sleeping man. Maggie shook him awake, him jumping about half a foot in the air before standing. "Follow me." He insisted. They rushed behind him, walking through 2 sets of double doors until they came to a large room in the ICU. Daryl shoved past Maggie, running to Beth's side.

"Daryl!" She forced out, her voice sounding scratchy. He lifted the cup of ice water with a bendy straw to her mouth. She sipped at it gently, all the while looking into his eyes. Once he put the straw down, he ran his hand gently over her hair. She grabbed onto his hand, shaking slightly. He felt how weak she was when she tried squeezing his hand, a side affect of the blood loss he assumed. "Daryl, I need to say something" He cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to say whatever it is she neeeded to.

"I….I think I have a crush on you..."

 **Ahhh! There it is, folks. What did you think? Big bad ass Daryl turned into an old softee. What'dya thhhiiiink! Review review review.**


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